Hall of Fame
Donaldson was a potent offensive player during the first few years of the varsity men's lacrosse program at Utica, piling up incredible goal-scoring numbers that still top the record books. In addition to a stellar career with the blue and orange in the early 2000's, Donaldson would also gain national recognition in his post-graduate career as he was one of the first law enforcement officers to arrive at the scene of the 2017 Mandalay Bay shooting in Las Vegas, Nevada.
At Utica, Donaldson helped the team to some early success, achieving the program's first winning record in 2003 (8-6). The program's early wins came as a result of Donaldson's scoring prowess, as the Dexter, New York native scored over 40 goals in each of his last three seasons with the Pioneers to secure the program's all-time career points record (219) and all-time career goals record (165). Both of those marks have withstood the test of time, with each record being significantly higher than the next-closest career marks, even after over 20 years. Michael Bulger is the closest Pioneer to Donaldson's career points mark, with his 179 points still being 40 short of Donaldson's 219, while Ben Winkler stands second in career goals scored, with his 125 goals being 40 short of Donaldson's 165. Donaldson also still holds additional records, including career goals per game (2.89), career man-up goals (29), and single-season goals per game (3.36 - 2005), To cap off his tenure with the program, Donaldson was named to two consecutive Empire 8 All-Conference teams in his final two seasons.
Following his playing career, Donaldson embarked on a career in law enforcement, which led him to become a detective for the Las Vegas Police Department, a role he held during 2017 when the Mandalay Bay shooting occurred. Donaldson, who was completing paperwork at the time of the attack, made his way to the hotel and joined a group of three other first responders who became the first officers to converge on the room containing the shooter. Donaldson's group breached the shooter's room on the 32nd floor, helping put an end to the attack, before returning to the ground floor to help with the rescue effort for the injured victims. Donaldson currently holds the role of Detective Sergeant with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.
